Hinsdale South High School juniors posted higher ACT proficiency rates in English, math and science last school year, according to state data released Oct. 30.
The gains give District 86 families a detailed look at the numbers behind each school's state rating. As we reported Nov. 2, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) gave Hinsdale Central an Exemplary designation and Hinsdale South an Approaching Exemplary designation under a new rating system.
At Hinsdale South, 71 percent of juniors met standards on the English language arts portion of the ACT, up from 65 percent the prior year, Patch reported. In math, 56 percent met the mark, up from 53 percent. In science, 63 percent reached proficiency, up from 60 percent.
Hinsdale Central also edged up. Eighty-nine percent of Central's students were deemed proficient in English language arts, 83 percent in math and 83 percent in science, according to Patch. Each figure rose 1 percentage point from the prior year.
About a quarter of Illinois schools earned the Exemplary label, according to Patch. The new system judges each school against fixed statewide criteria rather than ranking schools against one another.
Different schools, different demographics
The two schools serve markedly different student populations. Nearly a third of Hinsdale South students come from low-income families. At Central, the share is far smaller. Patch's Nov. 2 report put Central's low-income rate at 7 percent, while earlier Patch coverage from June and August cited 9 percent.
District 86 Superintendent Chip Pettit has cautioned against direct comparisons between the two schools. Central's enrollment is nearly twice South's.
In June, Pettit told the District 86 board he proposed a "league of comparable schools" approach, matching each school against demographically similar high schools rather than against each other. Pettit said he wanted to move away from Central-versus-South comparisons because Central nearly always comes out ahead given its wealthier student body, Patch reported in August.
This is the second year Illinois has required districts to use the ACT rather than the SAT for state testing, according to Patch. Families can review school-level data on the ISBE's Illinois Report Card portal.
